Patient Transport Service contract awarded

A new provider of non-emergency patient transport has been announced, with East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) signing the contract to deliver the service across Derbyshire from 1 August 2016.

EMAS has years of experience operating patient transport services (PTS) throughout the East Midlands, and takes over delivering the service from current provider NSL, which was awarded the contract in 2012.

Kate Schroder, Director of Acute Commissioning for NHS Southern Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group said: “Our patient population is at the heart of all our work.

“We’re thorough in our approach to commissioning services from providers to make sure we achieve the best quality and value for money each and every time for the people we’re responsible for looking after.

“We’d like to thank NSL for providing a high quality service and look forward to working closely with EMAS to ensure patients continue to have a good, safe and supportive experience.”

NSL will continue running the service until the changeover on 1 August 2016, when EMAS becomes the new provider.

Richard Henderson, Acting Chief Executive at EMAS, said: “Our priority is to deliver a safe and excellent service for patients.

“For this reason, it has been appropriate that we, along with the commissioners and NSL, take the time to make sure we have everything in place that needs to be before we take over the service.

“We are looking forward to working with the commissioners and NSL on a smooth transition for patients and the wider healthcare community.”

“This contract is another step forward in our transformation and demonstrates that others see EMAS as an improving organisation. The result is testament to the skills, determination and hard work of all my EMAS colleagues involved in our bid and negotiations, and I thank them all.”

Patient transport is pre-planned (routine, booked journeys) and on the day non-emergency transport between a patient’s home and a hospital or clinic. For example, EMAS will be providing a transport service to renal patients for their dialysis appointments, and for mental health patients travelling to a community day centre. It is estimated that EMAS will be providing approximately 232,000 patient journeys a year, which is around 4,500 each week.